Baptismal font.



J. S. STONE.

BAPTISMAL FONT,

APPLICATION FILED MAYIB. I915- 1,1'71,901. Patented Feb. 15,1916.

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Attorneys.

' UNITED STATES iA NT OFFICE. Y

JOHN s. s'ro vn'or ansas CITY, MISSOURI.

. BA'ETISMAL FONT.

Specification of Letters Patent, Patented Feb, 15, 1916. 7

Application filed May 18, 1915. Serial No. 28,961.

- tered by immersion.

j An ob ect of the invention is to provide a baptismal font in which the person tobe baptized may be immersed by theproper ecclesiastical official who stands without the font, thereby obviating the necessity of, said oiiicial wearing waterproof garments while administering this rite. Another object. of the invention is to provide a baptismal font in which is mounted I an adjustable false bottom or platform, that supports persons of various heights in predetermined relation with a secondary vessel or font to enable the candidate in baptism to rest in a sitting posture within the I secondary vessel during the period of'baptism to thereby relieve the official of the necessity of supporting the weight of the candidate.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a baptismal font of'general improved construction,[whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction as well as convenient, practical, safe and economical in its use,

-.; With the foregoing and other objectsin view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the com bination and arrangement of-parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

The invention has been illustrated in its 7 preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the invention taken on the line 2-201 Fig. 1; Fig. 3is a vertical longltudinal sectional view of the inventlon taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the ineetionials e e h ies lie- 531s.

5 is a detail horizontal sectional View of the invention showing the connection between the adjusting rod and false bottom, and 6 is a fragmental detail view depicting the means for. adjusting the false bottom.

In carrying out, the present invention,

there is provided a main or primary receptacle or-font,v having" a bottom 1, side walls 2 and 3, and an arcuate end wall i at one end'thereo-f, while a, portion of the opposite end is provided with a vertical wall 5, and the remaining portion of said end. wallis provided with an inclined wall 6 which'supports a plurality of steps 7",which are to be employed when entering the font. A relatively shallow receptacle 8 is formed adjacent the top of theside wall 8 to communicate with the upper portion of the main receptacle, and toone side thereof. The

shallow receptacle 8 is provided with an arcnate bottom 9, side walls 10 and 11 and oneend wall 12, the other end beingopen to communicate with the primary receptacle, as indicated at 13. r

In order that persons of various heights may be supported within the main receptacle with apredetermined relation withthe shallow receptacle 8, there is provided afalse bottom or platform 14 which is mounted for vertical sliding movement upon elongated. rods 15. The rodsv 15 are rectangular 1n cross section and are rotatably mounted in bracket-bearings 16, that are secured to the side walls 2 and 3 adjacent the top thereof,

and thrust bearings 17 which are secured to the bottom 1. Elongated slots 18 are formed in the falsebottom or platform 14: for the sliding reception of therods 15, when they are in their unlocked position; but when the rods 15 have been rotated throughan arc of 90 degrees, through the instrumentality of a wrench 19, which engages a non-circular portion 20 formed at the top of the rods 15, the upper and lower faces of the false.

bottom .14 are engaged by the top and bottom walls of one of a series of transverse slots 2-1 which extendinwardly from one edge of the rods 15. 7

To elevate or adjust the platform or false bottom to the desired position, there is pro-.

vided an L-shaped supporting memb'er comprising a short horizontalarm 22 and a long vertical arm 23 that is Sl1Clflblyl'I1OLlI1t6Ch1H.

bearings 24 and 25 which are secured to the arcuate wall l." The upper end of the arm eta menses-vita lateness w e mesh with the teeth of a pinion 27 secured to a shaft 28 which is rotatably mounted in the bearing 25. The shaft 28 has a non-circular portion formed at its outer end for the reception f the Wrench 19, which is employed to rotate the shaft 28 as well as the rods 15. A pawl 29 is pivoted to the arcuate Wall 4, for engagement with the teeth 26 of the arm 23.

In the practical employment of this device, the shaft 28 and pinion 27 are rotated until the platform has been adjusted to horizontal alinement with one of the slots 21, which slot is selected according to the height of the person to be baptized. ow, the rods 15 are rotated through an arc of 90 degrees which causes the slots 21 to lock the platform against vertical movement. The pawl 29 may also be moved to engagement with the teeth 26 of the long arm 23, to further secure the platform or false bottom against downward movement. After filling the font with water, of the desired temperature, the candidate in baptism, enters by way of the steps 7, and walks to that side of the font in which is located the shallow receptacle 8, where he stands erect with his feet under and in engagement with a flexible strap or stirrup 80. It will be observechthat the candidate is standing adjacent the wall 3 within easy reach of the presiding o'liicial who also stands near the wall 3, but outside of the font. WVhen immersing the candidate, the weight of his body is supported by the bottom 9 of the shallow receptacle 8, upon' which he rests in a sitting position, thereby relieving the ofiicial who administers the baptism, of the laborious task of supporting the entire weight of the candidate. The straps or stirrups 80 are provided to prevent the candidates feet from slipping, which frequently occurs during the baptism of nervous or excitable persons, and occasionally with serious results.

This font may be located in any convenient or appropriate place Within a baptistery, or existing fonts may be reconstructed. to embody the essential features of this invention. By constructing the font with a pri mary or relatively deep receptacle and a secondary or shallow receptacle, as described and illustrated, a material reduction is made in the amount of water and heat employed.

It is to be understood that this device may be made in any suitable size as conditions may require and, also, that it may be constructed of any material that may prove to be the most advantageous. Fonts now in use may also be materially improved by providing them with the simple adjustable platform and flexible safety stirrup.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as DGW'iS; I

1. In a dance of the character described including a primary receptacle; a relatively shallow receptacle formed adjacent the top of said primary receptacle and communicatin with the primaryreceptacle; upright rods rotatably mounted in the primary receptacle; an adjustable platform slidably mounted on said rods; and means for locking the platform in predetermined relation with respect to the relatively shallow recep tacle. v

2. In a device of the character described including a primary receptacle; means for entering said receptacle; upright rods rotae tably mounted in the primary receptacle, said rods having a plurality oftransverse notches extending inwardly from one edge thereof; a secondary receptacle formed adjacent the top of the primary receptacle and communicating with the primary receptacle; an adjustable platform slidably mounted on the upright rods within the primary receptacle and adapted to be locked in predetermined relation with respect to the secondary receptacle by having its upper and lower faces engaged by the transverse notches of the upright rods.

3. In a device of the character described including a primary receptacle having one wall thereof inclined; steps secured to said inclined wall; upright rods rotatably mounted in the primary receptacle, said rods having a plurality of transverse notches extending inwardly from one edge thereof; a secondary receptacle formed adjacent the top of andcommunicating with the primary receptacle; an adjustable platform. having elongated slots for the sliding recep tion of the upright rods, when said. rods are in their unlocked position, but when the upright rods have been rotated to locked position, the opposed faces of the adjustable platform are engaged by the transverse slots to lock said platform in predetermined relation with respect to the secondarv receptacle; a flexible stirrup secured to the upper face of the adjustable platform; and means for adjusting said platform;

4. Ina device of the character described including a primary receptacle; steps secured. to the interior of said receptacle; a relatively shallow receptacle formed adjacent. the top and communicating with the primary receptacle; upright rods rotatably mounted in said primary receptacle;

a wrench engaging portion formed at:

the top of said rods; .an adjustable platform slidably mounted in the rods; means for locking the platform in predetermined relation with the relatively shallow receptacle; an adjustingv member secured to the platform and mounted for vertical sliding movement within the primary receptacle; bearings secured to the primary receptacle for the slidingreception of'said adjusting member; teeth formed on said adjusting member; a shaft mounted in one of In testimony that I claim the foregoing said bearings; a pinion secured to said shaft as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signafor operative engagement W1th the teeth, a ture 1n the presence of two Witnesses.

pawl secured to the primary receptacle for JOHN S. STONE. engagement With the teeth; and a Wrench Witnesses: v

engaging portion formed on one of said WVILLIAM C. 'WARD,

shafts. THoMAs E. YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. v i 

